Protect The Great Whales

June 19, 1987|The Morning Call

To the Editor:

The laws intended to protect the great whales from extinction have been gutted by politicians' games. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission voted for a moratorium on commercial whaling starting in 1986. In 1984, Japan promised the United States that it would stop commercial whaling by this year to avoid U.S. trade sanctions. But early in April, the Japanese government announced it would continue hunting whales as part of a so-called research effort - allowing high kill quotas for minke whales and endangered sperm whales - thus effectively rejecting the agreement Japan has with our government.

The Japanese government has shown that it is sensitive to U.S. public opinion and the threat of trade sanctions. I urge you to publicize Japan's bad faith on the whaling issue and to adopt an editorial policy on this issue that condemns the Japanese whale hunt in any form. The American public must act now - while Prime Minister Nakasone is listening and has something to lose. Japan must be forcefully urged to honor its obligations and commitments to whale conservation.